About Me

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Saturday, 12 September 2009

University work this year. First module: Using tape to create images and Typography (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th images)

I used different coloured electrical tape to 'spice' up my room and make it more individual and exciting to be in. I used white and black electrical tape to create the Ace of Spades you can see in the 2nd and 3rd images. I did it all free hand and used a scalpel to trim and neaten up the edges.

I used red, black and white electrical take to make the 'safe sex' poster that you can see in the 4th and 5th images in this post. Again I did this freehand using a scalpel to trim the tape. I played with positive and negative space around the letters when I was doing the typography on the poster and I used a scalpel to create the 'sperm cell' which you can see in the 4th image. This sperm cell added comical value as I created this poster just for a bit of fun.

I then decided to take the rippling water effect further by getting a subject to skimboard across the surface of the water. I then photographed the wake that he left behind him as well as getting his body silhouetted partly by the reflection of the sky in the water and partly by the sky itself.

For these five images below I was concentrating on the reflection in the water being disturbed by rippling on the surface of the water. For this to happen I stood on the waters edge and flicked sand into the water with my foot, it was then up to me to quickly get my balance and position myself to get a good angle for the photograph before the ripples calmed down. A tripod would have made this task easier for me but I did not have one available to me at that moment of time.

I played around with the images on photoshop to bring out the blues and greens in the water as well as the magenta's and reds from the reflection of the sky and I am really happy with the final outcome as there was so much mood and atmosphere in the images alone before the manipulation.

I then had an idea that I would photograph the subjects kicking a football off the cliff and trying to capture the image just after the ball was released from the foot. It took several attempts of kicking and retrieving the ball before I got the images I was happy with. I feel that having a cheeky, smiling face peering over the sign in the foreground captures the comical personality and the rebelious nature of boys.

I feel that the jet trails in the second and third images in the post compliment the movement in the subject after he had thrown the soil. The subjects weight has been transferred all the way over to the left side of his body and he is standing on one leg. The trail seems to follow the angle at which he is standing and adds atmosphere to the image as well as framing the subject and the activity that is going on in the bottom right corner. There is no detail in the top left corner and i feel the jet trail draws the viewers eye away from this area where nothing is happening and brings the eye towards the area of interest.

I carried on experimenting with this camera angle by taking numerous shots of the subjects throwing the soil. I really like the way that the action is blurred and the grass in the foreground is in sharp focus. I feel this gives the photographs depth and the movement is enhanced.

I got the subjects to throw lumps of soil of the cliff onto the beach below (making sure it was safe to do so and there was nobody underneath that could get injured) I then climbed down onto a ledge that was about one metre lower than the edge of the cliff. I found this to be a really exciting angle as it meant I could make the camera look as if it was buried in the ground.

I really like the way the jet trails left by the planes overhead frame the images. This was a 'happy accident' as I could not have any control over the positioning of these trails, yet i feel they add a very subtle, yet powerful impact to the final image.

I decided to use one of my friends in this photograph. I got him to put his hood up over his cap and to look out to sea. I then positioned him so that he was partially blocking the glare from the water. This glare then silhouetted his face but the detail in his body and his clothes was not lost. I feel by getting him to stand there gave this beautiful, picturesque scenery a very urban feel, and I think these contrast of personalities really gives the image some impact.